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| U.S. Lawyer Skip Scott |
One down, six to go?
According to PDI the Calancan case is one of seven damage claims filed separately by Marinduque residents in Philippine courts against
Placer Dome and its officials. A separate case described as a ‘landmark suit’ was
filed by the Provincial Government of Marinduque in a Nevada (USA) court after
the national government “turned its back” on demands for environmental
protection.
The case appears to have taken a different turn in January when the lawyer representing the Provincial Government of Marinduque disclosed that the national government is actually a participant to the case, contrary to what Marinduquenos have been made to believe.
In a January 2013 meeting with some members of the
Sangguniang Panlalawigan and some representatives of Marinduque Council for Environmental
Concerns (MACEC) composed of farmers and fisherfolks, lawyers representing the
Province of Marinduque in the Nevada case made the following recorded
statements:
US Lawyer Scott: "…
there may be disagreement as to the methodology, there may be disagreement as
to disclosure…. The part of the difficulty, while I’m here, especially now, in
any effort or endeavor like this is that we all operate with certain
restrictions on us that we do not necessarily want, but have to live with…"
Filipino Lawyer Advincula: "…ang napag-agreehan kailangang
sabihin ito, hindi sa pagbubuhat ng bangko, mahirap po yung ginawa namin na
framework. Yung framework na ginawa ay isang
universal settlement, isang dokumento na ang gusto ng kabila ay ina-address
lahat ng mga constituency, lahat ng stakeholders…"
Scott: "… As for the political timetable, I personally
believe there is no person, no political party, whether you are in or out, it
doesn’t matter as far as these issues are concerned…. Like it or not, the
national government is a stakeholder…"
Board Member Mel Go: "Are you saying ‘Skip’ that even the
national government will set in?"
Scott : "I think that the national government has to be the
signatory to endorse… thus far they are
willing to eschew or forego any claims that then were promised with this
resolution… we’ve been in discussion
with the national government all along. The national government is well aware
and has participated in these (showing documents)…"
Mel Go: "Exactly, that’s why we are in a situation that we
have been kept blind for so many years… with the national government
(involvement)…"
